Contemporary leadless pacemakers only feature single-chamber pacing capability. This study presents a prototype of a leadless dual-chamber pacemaker. Highly energy-efficient intrabody communication was implemented for wireless pacemaker synchronization. Optimal communication parameters were obtained by in vivo and ex vivo measurements in the heart and blood. The prototype successfully performed dual-chamber pacing in vivo. The presented wireless communication method may in the future also enable leadless cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Keywords: AV, atrioventricular; ECG, electrocardiogram; LV, left ventricle; PM, pacemaker; RA, right atrium; RV, right ventricle; intrabody communication; leadless dual-chamber pacing; leadless pacemaker; low power; wireless communication.